Review: 'Smart Girl' by Rachel Hollis (2016)

Brilliant designer Miko Jin is a hopeless romantic. She’s spent most of her life falling in love over and over again…with the men she finds in the pages of her favorite novels.
When Miko meets Liam Ashton, it’s love at first sight. At least, for her. Sure, the two of them are polar opposites, and yes, he seems to be dating someone new each week. But Miko knows what true love is and that you can’t rush it—after all, what she lacks in real-world experience, she makes up for in book smarts. With novels as her guide, and her best friends by her side, she knows she can get Liam to love her back. But just like any good romance novel, fate has a few plot twists in store. Will Miko get her own happy ending? Will she find the strength to stand up for what she deserves even if it means breaking her own heart?
Two years ago I fell in love with Rachel Hollis’ debut novel ‘Party Girl’ (click here to read my review); a fantastic book which I can highly recommend to any chick lit/romantic comedy fan. The novel was one of my favourite reads of 2014 and I was so excited when I discovered it was actually just the start of an entire series! Last year, we were treated to ‘Sweet Girl’ (click here to read my review) and this month the third part of the series was released, ‘Smart Girl.’ I was lucky enough to get an early review copy of the book and I couldn’t wait to read it. I had my fingers crossed, hoping I would end up enjoying it just as much as the other parts of the series, and that the enjoyment would manage to postpone the sadness of this being the last part of this lovely series!
Twenty-something Miko Jin has three things in her life which she loves unconditionally: her job as a designer for the event planning business she started with her best friend Landon, books (especially ones with handsome heroes and a good dose of romance), and Liam Ashton. Ever since Miko saw Liam for the first time, she just knew they were meant to end up together. But as in the novels she loves so dearly, there are quite a few obstacles in the way to her own happy ever after, beginning with the fact that Liam is a player who does not want to commit to anyone. With her family, friends, and job to focus on, Miko knows she can’t just put everything aside to focus on her love life. However, when things suddenly start to go in the right direction, Miko can’t help but run as fast as she can to get what she wants, not considering what she might lose on the way…
‘Smart Girl’ is, sadly, the last part of Rachel Hollis’ ‘Girl’ series, but another thoroughly enjoyable chick lit read by this great author. In the previous books of the series, ‘Party Girl’ and ‘Sweet Girl’, we already met best friends Landon, Max and Miko, and this time we get to hear Miko’s story. I fell in love with all characters in the previous books and was really glad to join them once again, with a specific focus on Miko this time around. While Miko definitely has her own way of doing things, I easily warmed to her because of her love of books. The many references to and quotes from popular books and famous classics brought a smile to my face every time and I personally loved this aspect of the novel. The female characters in this series have strong personalities and are all different, which is what makes this series so great, especially combined with Rachel Hollis’ well-paced and comfortable writing style.
I did feel like this book had one storyline that was focused on and that was it. In the previous books, there was usually a main focus on a particular girl’s life, with separate storylines based on her job, family/friends, and love life. I kind of missed this in ‘Smart Girl’; I still really enjoyed the book, don’t get me wrong, but I wouldn’t have minded if there had been more to the story than just the main romance storyline that was focused on. The ending was pretty fantastic, though, so that definitely made up for some of it! While ‘Smart Girl’ can be read as a stand-alone, I would recommend reading the whole series so you really get to know the characters and their background stories. Overall, ‘Smart Girl’ is a thoroughly entertaining, fun, light-hearted, romantic chick lit read that left me with a big smile on my face, and I honestly can’t wait to see what Rachel Hollis will have in store for us next!

Rating:9,5/10

  For more information about this book: Amazon.co.uk / Amazon.com / Goodreads

Thanks to the publisher for providing me with a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Review: 'A Girl's Best Friend' by Lindsey Kelk (2015)

First Tess was a girl with a plan.
Then she was a girl with a dream.
Now she’s a girl who’s come back to earth with a bump.
When the opportunity arises to join her best friend, Amy, in New York for Christmas, Tess jumps at the chance. The only fly in ointment is that Nick, the man who broke her heart, lives there. And Charlie, the man she turned down, has just started talking to her again. And she has just four days to take a photo for a competition that could save her career.
But aside from that, everything is going to be great: it’ll be the best Christmas ever. Won’t it?
What better way to start the new year than with the latest novel written by one of the best chick lit authors out there? That’s exactly what I was thinking when I received a copy of Lindsey Kelk’s ‘A Girl’s Best Friend’ for Christmas and was looking for my first read of 2016. I’ve loved all of Lindsey’s novels so far and her ‘I Heart…’ series is one of the best chick lit book series out there, if you ask me. ‘A Girl’s Best Friend’ is the third part of the ‘About a Girl’ series and was published by Harper Collins on November 5th 2015. The previous parts ‘About a Girl’ (click here to read my review) and ‘What a Girl Wants’ (click here to read my review) were both fantastic reads, so I already had a feeling I would enjoy ‘A Girl’s Best Friend’ as well… A definite good read to start off the new year!
It seems like nothing in Tess' life is going right at the moment. After having a great time in fabulous places such as Hawaii and Milan, she's back in grey and rainy London, and all alone. So, when her best friend Amy tells her to book a ticket to come and see her in New York, Tess knows she has no other choice but to get on that plane to find some excitement in her life. Spending the festive season in the Big Apple is of course already quite special, but Tess soon manages to find other opportunities to make her time in the USA count and start working on her dream of becoming a photographer. But when she is suddenly given a great chance to prove just what she can do and the love of her life makes a surprise appearance, the stakes are suddenly pretty high and Tess realises this trip might be more life-changing than she originally expected it to be...
Another great romantic comedy read by Lindsey Kelk; I'm really starting to think this woman will never be able to disappoint me with her novels! 'A Girl's Best Friend' is another fantastic instalment of the 'Girl' series, with the same great characters, a captivating storyline, and Lindsey Kelk's funny distinctive writing style. Tess is a relatable heroine, trying to follow her dreams but meeting a lot of obstacles along the way. I can honestly say I've never come across a character like Amy, Tess' best friend, before, but she just cracks me up and the friendship between her and Tess is just great. 
All the other characters really make the story even better, such as Al and Kekipi, and I personally loved the fact that some familiar faces from the 'I Heart...' series made an appearance in this book. Because of this reason, I also think this novel is definitely the most fun to read if you're familiar with the author's other novels, especially the earlier parts of this series. However, the book can be read as a stand-alone as well, I just wouldn't recommend it. The book is promoted as a Christmas read, but I personally thought it wasn't that Christmassy, not as much as I had hoped it would be. Overall, though, 'A Girl's Best Friend' is another sparkling, fun and fresh read from brilliant chick lit author Lindsey Kelk; I loved it!

Rating:9,5/10

  For more information about this book: Amazon.co.uk / Amazon.com / Goodreads